[oclug] Fwd: [edlug] Rather Depressing

[Rod Giffin]

On Fri, March 18, 2005 18:38, Greg said:
> Rod Giffin wrote:
>>>http://ffmpeg.sourceforge.net/
>>>
>>>"FFmpeg is seriously threatened by software patents due to the numerous
>>>patented techniques it implements. Also threatened are the many programs
>>>built upon FFmpeg, like the free software multimedia players MPlayer,
>>>xine, VLC, avifile, gstreamer"
>>
>>
>> It's too bad they don't include any method (or request) for programmers
>> to
>> help them work around the patents they're threatened by as well.
>
> That is what a patent forbids.

That's a common misconception.  A patent for a method of skinning cats
does not patent all methods for skinning cats, and there is more than one
way to do it.  That is what innovation is all about, coming up with new
ways.

Rod.